The Bozeman weekly chronicle., 1887-04-20
THE WAGON BOY.

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perfect Centaur Of q horseman, and Or
dinarily, it must be said, John was on
pretty good terms with himself.
Ordinarily, but not that morning. No,
indeed, but on the contrary pretty thor
oughly out Of sorts, and all because of
few little words he had heard from the
lips of one of the train company.
"Only q wagon boy" he muttered to
himself, as the cloud deepened on his
bronzed and bearded face. "That is all.
And I've crossed the plains and back six
round times, and never made a bad trip
yet. Always sold well, not to speak of
fares and trades and mining claims I've
brought in. And I'm only q wagon boy.
Well, / won't go back on what I've done,
for i've wagoned It to some purpose. I'd
meant this trip for. wind up, but Pm
half inclined to keep it up, now I've heard
that. What's blue uniform, that any
sprig Of q lieutenant should dare look
down on me. He's in command Of the
escort, and so Of the train, too, Just now;
but may be I'll meet him on equal terms
some day."
Perhaps John would have given some
thing to have known what eyes were ad-
miring his easy and graceful seat in the
saddle, or what other lips were repeating:
"Only wagon boy" or to have heard
Mary Dennison add, 'that's what Lieut..
Strong says; but l wonder II oil the plains
wagon boys are like him. should say
not, by good deal, from the specimens l
have SEEN"
"My daughter" said pursy and some
what pompous gentleman, who sat beside
her in the light, covered wagon, "you
mustn't forget what's due to your posi-
tion. We have had our misfortunes, but
there's no fit company here for you and
me, unless 1t may be Lieut.. Strong"
COMPANY, fatheri l don't want any
company; but why isn't the man who
commands the teamsters somebody, as
well as the man who commands the
escortf''
"Mary, you astonish mer' exclaimed
her father. "Lieut Strong is a gentle
man, while John Lawrence is"
"What, father2 He seems to have q
pretty good education"
"Only a wagon boy" snapped the old
gentleman, put out by the interruption.
"And how do you know anything about
his education You have not been so care
less as to talk with himP"
"Indeed i have, father" said the
young beauty, with a half merry, half
willful look, ''and he is a capital talker.
He has had wonderful experiences, too, on
the plains and at the mines. You might
learn something from him about the set
of men you are to do business with, II
ever you get your goods safely out there"
''Me!-me learn from the like of him
Are you crazy? may have had my mis-
fortunes, but Carlos Dennison is not the
man to rake among teamsters and wagon
boys for any information. Teach me, in
o...lr ~ A..
two myself when we get out there"
''If we ever do,' half sadly responded
his daughter "The scouts say we have
been in the neighborhood of Indian bands
these three days, and they may come down
on us at any time"
"Whatl and we with such an escort ?
Under such n man as Lieut.. Stronga
Nonsensel Before tomorrow night we
shall be safe at this ranch-La Vertida
Is that itS Almost fort, they say"
''Well, father, hope we may; but there
is danger between this and that, and
there'l be more beyond 1t. But, father,
look-there's grove of trees for a won-
der, and they're the first we've seen in
two weeks that were bigger than bushes. +"
The old gentleman was himself pleased
at the sight Of the grove, but hardly had
half the distance been passed in reaching
them before there were signs of some new
and stronger commotion in the train.
Could it be that John Lawrence had SO
far forgotten his position as to come to
words with the officer in commando
Hardly that, although the wagon boy'
was certainly expostulating most earnestly
against something the lieutenant had
made up his mind to do.
"You'n never catch them in the world, +"
he said. They're war party Of Kiowas,
or I'm mistaken, and you might as well
go for SO many hungry buzzards. What's
more, there's no saying what may happen
to the train while you're gone"
81 don't need to be taught my duty by
o wagon boy" replied the young officer.
sThose prowling savages need lesson,
and I mean to give them one. Go straight
forward with the train. Don't 20 into
camp till join you"
John Lawrence nodded, but not word
escaped him, and in q moment more the
lieutenant had dashed away, followed by
the scant two dozen cavalry, which consti
tuted the escort. Not q bluecoat was
left, and John Lawrence was therefore In
command.
Not q bad force to command, either
were the twenty odd of brawny, hart
looking, well armed teamsters, who hat
recognized John Lawrence as their leader
nearly half Of them being In his own EN-
ploy. Some Of them who had heard Lieut.
Strong, however, were half astonished q
Johns first order.
'Make straight for that bit of grover
he shouted. mo tagging and no breaking
the linel Whip up now-there's no telling
how much time we may haver'
81 say, you, there-John Lawrence!'
cried the wheezy voice Of Mr. Dennison
~ heard the lieutenant's instructions t,
you Keep right on, command you'll
forbid you to stop for one momentr'
Don't you see Pm making all the hast,
Icans' grimly replied the young plains
man. "You must make some allowanc,
for prejudices, my dear sir. We're al
pretty likely to lose our scalps this after
noon, and I've made up my mind +,
rather be scalped in that patch of timbe
than out here"
The mules and the oxen were pushed
their uttermost for that half mile, but jus
as the foremost teams were getting in un
der the trees the low rolls of the surround
ing prairie began to show here and there
at swift intervals, just such flutterin
plumes and just such squads of wild rider
as had lured Lieut.. Strong on his sci
appointed errand Of Kiowa instruction.
John Lawrence on his quick footed mus
tang seemed to be everywhere at onct
and Mary Dennison was almost afraid sh
heard him swear, as he shouted his ol
ders to the teamsters and hastened tn
slow moving teams each to its place |
what he deemed the best and safest ordel
Even Mary's inexperienced eyes coul
see that, with wagons and trees, John wa
making some sort Of ring fence or breas
work, with the animals inside, but he
fathers attention had by this time becon
concentrated or rather scattered upon IL
yelling and dashing redskins, whose nun
bers had now increased SO that they dare
charge nearer, and already their arrow
were beginning to fall perilously clos
Doubtless they also comprehended IL
every day strategy of the ''wagon boy,
and knew that time was worth somethir
to them, for they were evidently gatheriI
for ''rush'' of some sort.
John Lawrence ratified his orders he
and there, and the tones of his voice r
minded Mary Dennison of the sharp, G
plosive reports of his. own tremendol
whip; but now, to her astonishmen
seven or eight well mounted teamste
suddenly closed up around him, and Il
squad SO formed dashed straight out, as
to meet four times their number Of Il
charging Kiowas.
"They will all be killed. Father, loo
at themr" she cried.
But they were not, for at that instal
they all reined in, as II with one hand, al
o crash of rifles and an angry yell from Il
Fed men told how thoroughly the latt